101 entries from July 2012

July 31, 2012

In the cartoon, the cartoonist associates real Olympic events with their domestic counterparts. In the Flame Ceremony, the man is lighting a cigarette. In Hammer Throwing, he throws a real hammer over his shoulder as he bins a D.I.Y. list (meaning he won't be doing any jobs around the house). Weightlifting involves carrying a big keg of beer to the TV room. In Sprinting, he's rushing to the toilet (so as not to miss any important Olympic action). The last panel features a play on the homograph 'rowing'. Rowing (rhyming with 'going') is an Olympic sport involving boats, but rowing (rhyming with 'wowing') means having a noisy argument, which is what the couple are doing. He wants to watch the beach volleyball, while she wants to see the synchronised swimming, which is why they are fighting for control of the TV remote.

In line with Olympic tradition, pin enthusiasts from across the world gather at London 2012 to trade and collect pins. Tara Cleary reports.

TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: While athletes compete in the world's most diverse sporting event, traders from around the globe gather to swap Olympic pins, past and present. For some collectors, like Doug Kaplan, it's a passion. DOUG KAPLAN, PIN COLLECTOR: "I have towels, like beach towels from each Olympics with the logo on them and then I fill it up with my pins from that games and other games, so all my walls at home are covered with these beach blankets full of pins. My friends think I'm crazy." REPORTER: While others are pin-novices. JENNIFER, NEW PIN COLLECTOR: "Well I actually started today, so I would not consider myself a pin collector but it's really fun so far. It's really neat to find pins from other Olympics." REPORTER: Trading doesn't involve the exchange of money and collectors pin their hopes on owning the most sought-after badges. Tara Cleary, Reuters.

The Guardian reports the suspicions of a respected US swimming coach over Chinese swimming prodigy Ye Shiwen's gold medal. Full story >>

VOCABULARYIf you describe someone or something as suspicious, you mean that there is some aspect of them which makes you think that they are involved in a crime or a dishonest activity. • Police are treating as suspicious a fire described as one of the biggest in Northern Ireland for many years.

In the movie scene, audiences watched 007, played by Daniel Craig, walking into Buckingham Palace surrounded by corgis to pick up the Queen, who was sitting at her writing desk.

She greeted him with the words "Good evening, Mr Bond", then the pair apparently boarded a helicopter which flew across London to the stadium.

They parachuted down to the ground, but at the last moment – and in real-time – the Queen appeared in the arena to take her seat to cheers and applause.

The cartoon shows the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, taking tea at Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty says to the footman who is serving the tea from a teapot, "One lump - shaken not stirred". Prince Philip tells the footman, "Don't worry - she's been like this ever since the Olympic opening ceremony".

EXPLANATION"Shaken, not stirred" is a catchphrase of James Bond for how he wished his martini prepared. The phrase first appears in the novel Diamonds Are Forever (1956), though Bond does not actually use the line until Dr. No (1958) when he says "shaken and not stirred" instead of "shaken, not stirred." It was first uttered in the films by Sean Connery in Goldfinger in 1964, and used in numerous Bond films thereafter. It has become a recognisable catchphrase in western popular culture, appearing in any number of films, television programmes and video games for its cliché value (source: Wikipedia).

The joke is that the Queen, carried away by her triumphant Bond appearance, uses 007's famous phrase in relation to her tea - she wants one lump of sugar, and the tea to be shaken, not stirred.

VOCABULARY1. Sugar lumps are small cubes of sugar you put in cups of tea and coffee.2. If you stir a liquid, you move it around or mix it in a container using something such as a spoon.3. A teapot is a container with a lid, a handle, and a spout, used for making a serving tea.4. Shaken is the past participle of the irregular verb to shake (shake, shook, shaken).

Shut out of sporting events, fans sat in a field and watched highlights on massive television monitors while rows of seats went unoccupied. Deborah Gembara reports.

TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: It's an image Olympic organizers aren't keen for the public to see --- empty seats at some of the most popular sporting events. On Sunday, they were scrambling to respond to the uproar caused by rows of vacant seats beamed worldwide. What's to blame? It depends on who you ask. Some say an overly complicated ticketing system while others point to corporate sponsors failing to fill their sections. London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe offered up yet another theory --- the empty sections have been reserved for sports officials who can spend limited time leisurely watching different events. LONDON 2012 CHAIRMAN SEBASTIAN COE: "I don't want to see swathes of those seats empty, and that is why we will make sure where we possibly can that we get people into those as and when they are not being used." REPORTER: Organizers say they are now looking to fill seats with military, local school children and teachers or upgrading other ticket holders. It's cold comfort however to fans who find themselves shut out of different events. AUSTRALIAN TOURIST: "We've come all the way from the other side of the world to be here, so if people aren't using those seats, by all means, let us in, because it's a global event and the globe should be invited." MAN: "My wife was trying to get tickets for gymnastics today and we couldn't, so seeing the gymnastics arena yesterday half empty it is a bit disappointing but, yeah, they should fill them up as much as possible because I am sure people would come." DUTCH TOURIST: "It's very bad, we like to go into Holland play now (sic) for the hockey but we got cards only for the afternoon and not the morning. We like to come in, but you can't buy any tickets and we know that there are empty places and that is bad that you can't come in and it isn't true." AUSTRALIAN TOURIST: "Let everyone else come in. Most people don't get to see and be involved in Olympics, so it's not very fair to be honest." The empty venues have not gone unnoticed by athletes. Australian swimmer Libby Trickett. LIBBY TRICKETT: "I hope that they can pack that venue, because it is a brilliant venue and it deserves to be filled to capacity." REPORTER: One solution officials are considering is allowing fans to take open seats if they aren't filled within the first 30 minutes of the event. Deborah Gembara, Reuters.

Private security contractors at the Olympics have lost the keys to Wembley Stadium, claims the Daily Mail. The paper calls it a shocking breach of security. Full story >>

VOCABULARYIf you describe a situation or event as a farce, you mean that it is so disorganized or ridiculous that you cannot take it seriously. Love is a tragic farce and life can be a wretchedly misspent joke in Anton Chekhov's dark comedy, 'Uncle Vanya.'

FOOTNOTEThis cartoon by Mac from the Daily Mail appeared on Friday, and seems amazingly premonitory in the light of this latest security glitch.

This cartoon by Schrank from The Independent on Sunday is a comment on the evolving attitude of the Great British Public to the Olympic Games. Before the Games started, many people (no doubt influenced by the media) were complaining about the cost, the logo, the role of the sponsors, the strikes, the security fiascos, and refusing to get too excited about the world's greatest sporting event. But after Friday's spectacular opening ceremony, the country is now in the grip of Olympic fever.

The Sunday Telegraph leads on the Queen's joy at the Olympic Games. Full story >>

VOCABULARY If you describe something or someone as wonderful, you think they are extremely good. • The parents of a teenager who died in a car crash have paid touching tributes to their “wonderful daughter”.

EXPLANATIONThe joke is that all the things the woman wants to forget about during the Olympics have become an integral part of the Games. I don't think she's being ironic, but the cartoonist is.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS• What's your view on the Olympics?• Do you think the Olympics focus on the nobler aspects of humanity? • What do the Olympics represent for you?• What do you think about the role of the Olympic sponsors? • Have the Olympics become over-commercialized? • Is the Olympic spirit dead, or is it still alive?• Are you looking forward to a festival of sport, or will you be glad when it's all over?

VOCABULARYWonder is a feeling of surprise and admiration for something very beautiful or new to you. • The sight of the Taj Mahal filled us with wonder. The Guardian's headline references 'Isles of Wonder', the title given to Danny Boyle's spectacular opening ceremony.

July 27, 2012

This cartoon by Andy Davey from The Sun shows Team GB during the Parade of Nations portion of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, which is scheduled to take place in London tonight. Athletes from each country participating in the Olympics will parade in the Olympic Stadium, preceded by their flag. The flag will be borne by a sportsperson or official from that country chosen either by the National Olympic Committee or by the athletes themselves to represent their country.

EXPLANATIONThe joke is that everyone is sporting Bradley Wiggins-style sideburns in celebration of his historic victory in the Tour. The cartoonist is making fun of the spate of Wiggomania which has been sweeping the country of late.

IDIOMIf a situation or person gets out of hand, they go too far and can no longer be controlled. • We decided to leave the party before things got out of hand.